Closet Renovation

This is the closet I saw on Pinterest.

This was my closet.  Stuffed with crap.  Kids just threw their coats on the bottom of the steps when they came home.

So Hannah and I got to work.  50/50 hair conditioner/warm water peeled that old musty wallpaper right off!

Messy, but with a pleasant coconut smell.

Games, junk, out of season coats were all moved to the guest room closet.  Shoes have been relocated to a bench/shoe organizer under the window.

I painted.  Kevin put in the chair rail and the hooks (after I stripped out some screws because I am so not handy with the drill...oopsie).  And now, the kids come home and hang up their backpacks and coats.  EVERY. DAY.

And I am one happy Mom.  Pinterest WIN!

Book Learnin'

A picture of the cake! A few days late due to illness but fun nevertheless. (There were 4 candles, one is hiding.)

But enough birthday talk - let's talk school!  At Zoe's first evaluation in early December the teacher told me that Zoe is pretty much right in the middle of the pack academically.  However, she is the most polite little girl, a friend to everyone in class (including the special needs children that are mainstreamed for part of the day with her class) and a little diplomat that helps other children work out their scuffles.  That made my heart soar!

But I still want to improve those "grades."  Well, there are no grades until third grade.  Each skill is marked with a B(eginning to develop), D(eveloping at this time) or P(roficient level at this time).

Here we are working on tens and ones with the help of Hannah's duplos!

I think Zoe is a little frustrated that her friends are reading chapter books (like Junie B. Jones and Captain Underpants) and they are above her level.  Luckily our local librarian helped me find some "junior" chapter books that have the look and feel of chapter books but are at her level.  Our other problem is fatigue.  She is just so tired after school and her reading suffers.  (She reads better for me on the weekends.)  The internet told me that using a glass marble to highlight the words can be fun and keep a child's attention.  It does!

Hannah is really making strides in preschool!  She couldn't even hold a pencil in September and now she can write her name and numbers.  (And yes that is *my* diet Dr. Pepper that I put down to take the picture!)

My favorite is when this happens:

On this day Hannah and I were working together.  "Ww.  Ww.  Scarecrow?  Moon?  Mommy, there is no Ww sound."  I think its a witch Hannah.  "No, its a scarecrow.  See the hair and the nose..."  She's got a point.

Arts and crafts - more internet inspiration.  We made little heart stencils and used pencil erasers for stamps. 

Finished product (and proof that no one believes in candy anymore - these kids have tons of Halloween, Christmas and Valentines pencils.  But now I don't have to sharpen them because we have re-purposed them as stamps!)

After Christmas I bought the girls this awesome doll house!  We set it up where the Christmas tree was in the living room with the rule that all of their dolls have to be tucked in the bin behind the house at the end of the day.  So far so good!  In fact Zoe has been waking up in the mornings and just playing happily by herself.

Hannah likes the house but also likes to set up her corral in the front yard.

Mommy, who is bigger?!?  It's close...

 (Our vet says that though Davey could stand to lose 1-2 lbs, he really is just a big cat.)

January 26th!

Well, the day before Hannah's birthday was a happy one!  We made cupcakes to share with her preschool class.  So excited that they were cheetah cupcakes!

 Zoe being a weirdo!

It snowed and we got to play outside.  (I didn't get a picture but Hannah was spinning in circles trying to catch flakes on her tongue!)

Unfortunately, at about 5am on January 26th* Hannah hopped on the puke train.  Note the absence of Cubby - he was in the wash.

 Our dear neighbor brought us Gatorade.  And we tried to have a little fun. 

But the cake and the celebrating will have to happen another day.  Bedtime with the best night nurse (he loves feverish kids - so warm! )

* I am emphasizing the date of Hannah's birth because no one seems to remember it - myself included.  She was due on February 4th but I knew my scheduled C date from early on: January 29th.  So that date is stuck in my head.  Alyssa likes Christmas in January, the 25th.  My mom goes with the 23rd probably because Zoe is May 23rd. 

Year End Wrap Up!

Remember when I was a frequent blogger?  Yeah, me too.  I was going to cut it out but: (a) I find myself referring back to it to remember things the kids did at certain ages and (b) I can see that whenever I put up a post a whole bunch of people read it.  Only my mom and my bff usually leave comments.  So maybe the blog is coming up in Russian search engines or something.  Or maybe, just maybe, more of our far away family and friends are reading this than are commenting (gentle nudge).  Regardless, I think I will try to be better at keeping it up if only for my own memory aid.

 

So what have I been doing instead of blogging in the evenings whilst watching crappy television?  Crocheting!

 

Bow making!

 

Neither of which is as lucrative as lawyering.  But I make enough money for more craft supplies and starbucks.  (And I do feel very, very thankful to be able to be a stay home mom, volunteer at school, etc.)

Another blogging problem: I haven't been taking many pictures of late.  And the ones I do take are lousy.  But the memory card keeps getting filled up with a lot of these:

And some of these:

 

 So apparently Hannah is enjoying the camera.

Anyway, on with the recap.  I can't even find Halloween pictures.  But Zoe was a unicorn and Hannah was (obviously) a cheetah.

We made a trip to Massachusetts for Thanksgiving.  There was a lot of family and love and visiting.  Even Aunty Sarah was there!

And after Thanksgiving turkey Aunty Nancy, Uncle Tom and Gramma had early Christmas for the girls.  They were so excited!

 

December was getting ready for Christmas at home.  Making cookies from packaged dough because mine are awful.  (And Ikea makes some good cookie dough! As does Trader Joe's!)

Decorating the tree:

Grampa came down to Pennsylvania the weekend before Christmas.  Lots of love and visiting and PRESENTS!

Since we didn't travel for Christmas we got to take advantage of a virtually empty Delaware Children's Museum  on Christmas Eve.  (And of course took Zoe for crabs at Joe's Crab Shack next door for Christmas Eve dinner.)

And on Christmas morning I awoke to shouts of "He came!  He came!" The girls were so happy and surprised and thankful.  It was just...awesome!

Cheetah-town

Hannah doesn't understand that you just need one piece of bold print in an outfit.  A little pop.  She is all pop.  

Hannah loves textures.  She especially loves feeling things with her feet.  She would never wear shoes if it were up to her.  As a reward for having a good day at preschool she can walk home barefoot.  Kevin decided that putting her into my new bag of fluffy stuffing would be a good idea.  Good Daddy; Bad Husband.

Hannah has finally started drawing.  She never has been interested in sitting still for long...anyway, here is one of her masterpieces called "Mom and Dad".  I have the large nose.  Kevin has the long legs.

 

 

Further evidence of her settling down a bit - the other day when I was playing a math memory game with Zoe, Hannah set up her own game to play with Davey.

The children are taking swimming lessons at the YMCA.  Look closely.  Here are two red shirted teachers tossing Zoe in from the platform to her waiting teacher.  I am afraid she will end up a doggy-paddler like her mother.  (Hannah of course is jumping off before the teacher is even ready for her.)

On the other hand, Zoe was so, so, so excited about the free (FREE!) pony rides at the park.  Hannah would only watch from far, far away.

Zoe is growing her hair long.  I like it shorter but she is keeping it pretty snarl free and letting me try new braids so I guess I'll let her grow it a while longer.

Gross alert!!!!!!! Remember in August when Zoe opened a door over her toe and it swelled up and bled a little?  Me either.  But her toe nail does and it is just hanging on by a thread.  Of course Zoe refuses to take it off.

Firsts!

Big news at our house: Zoe is now a first grader!  Woooo!

And Hannah is now a preschooler!  Woooo!

Zoe started school a week before Hannah.  Her first day was an hour long orientation for the kids in their classroom and the parents in the cafeteria.  I have chosen not to use the pictures taken before orientation as "First Day" pictures.  For obvious reasons...

Orientation was overwhelming.  Thus the blur.  But here is Zoe and her dear friend Rhyan.  (They dance together too if her cute little face looks familiar.) 

 

Hannah was a little lonely with Zoe gone so we tried out some of the things I've seen on Pinterest.  Like crockpot granola.  You leave the lid cracked so the moisture escapes and it's crispy.  And the oven doesn't heat up the whole kitchen.  Yay!

 (Beth, I can hear you saying "Really, Jamie, really?!")

 I was so, so worried about Zoe starting First Grade.  She has been anxious in the past.  The school houses 1st through 8th grade.  The kids are expected to be much more independent.  But as this picture that Hannah snapped of Zoe on the playground the other morning shows...She's GOT THIS! 

PS what have I been doing in my 6 hours of week with no kids?
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